Brookfield town meeting conduct called a 'disgrace'

Nanci G. Hutson

Updated 10:47 pm, Wednesday, May 7, 2014

BROOKFIELD -- The acrimony that has divided the town over politics, personalities and school finance erupted Tuesday night at a four-hour annual town meeting on the proposed 2014-15 school and town budget.

Some 460 people registered to attend the meeting, where it was decided to bifurcate the budget ahead of a May 20 referendum by the town's 10,000 registered voters.

The final budget to be considered by voters totals $60.4 million: $21.8 million for the town and $38.6 million for the schools.

Participants said the meeting was marred by shouting, with many parents expressing anger over their perception that the Republican administration is trying to derail the school system by holding the school budget to little more than this year's figure.

A verbal tussle between two people in the Brookfield High School auditorium lobby prompted a call to police. Brookfield Police Maj. Jay Purcell said what was thought to be a fight turned out to be just an argument. No one was arrested.

A new political action group, the Brookfield Parent Alliance, proved a force in rallying parents to support the schools. Some said its members were rude and unruly; others said they merely stood up for equitable funding for their children.

"People are wanting to be informed, and people are passionate about what is going on in this town," said Board of Education member Tara Lerner. "They're trying to get educated, and trying to understand how the town is run, the procedures in place that affect the community."

Lerner said she hopes that all voices can be heard in a respectful fashion.

"Whether you have kids or you don't have kids, we are all one community," Lerner said.

"Personal attacks, destructive meeting input and disregard of the Town Charter seemed to be the order of the day for this group," said Walker, who left after an hour because of the meeting's tone.

"As we left, this group jeered and shouted crude and obscene comments at us, and in my opinion, this was just short of an out-of-control mob in the room," Walker said. "I am ashamed that Brookfield has a group of people who think this is the way to act at a town meeting."

Republican First Selectman Bill Tinsley was a clear object of wrath.

Former Zoning Commission member Chris Lynch proposed an amendment cutting Tinsley's annual salary from $79,000 to $24,000, an effort that failed.

About 40 people walked out of the meeting after former Democratic Selectman Howard Lasser managed to get enough votes to cut $67,000 in town expenses.

Minority Selectman Bill Davidson said he credits some of the turmoil to a chaotic voting process. He said he hopes the charter can be clarified to avoid such problems in the future.

"Clearly, we had a large number of people who don't like the (proposed) school budget ... and they were passionate in what they believe," Tinsley said.